Chapter 55: Separated by the Rift
Author: LORI D. LEE
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Emerging from the disorienting whirl of the portal, I braced myself for what awaited us on the other side. The familiar sights and sounds of our world rushed back with a jarring intensity, but something was wrong. As I looked around, a wave of panic surged through me—I was alone.

"Lena? Drake? Mara?" My voice echoed through the dense jungle, the only response the distant call of exotic birds and the rustling of leaves.

I cursed under my breath, gripping the crystal tighter. We had managed to battle the Guardian and access the portal, but the journey back had torn us apart, scattering us across the archipelago. The urgency of our mission pressed down on me. The shape-shifter was still out there, and we needed to regroup quickly.

A rustling nearby snapped me out of my thoughts. I spun around, heart pounding, only to see Lena emerge from the underbrush, her clothes torn and face streaked with dirt.

"Jack! Thank God," she gasped, rushing over. "I thought I was the only one."

"Have you see
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